USAF Nav- potential hires care?
 

So I’m going to be a retired O-4 2000-hr evaluator/instr herc nav at age 38. Almost done with CFI, hours are low... is my military flying experience of any significance/value for most potential hires? I’m a realist but would like to hope I’m at least valued more than the typical 20-something FBO bum (respectfully).

Certainly all your experience and jobs held will fill an application nicely. You may be able to enter your time in some apps under Navigator time. But sadly you won't get any flying hour credit. I'd get the min hours required to be hired by a regional ASAP. That will be the route you have to take.

Navs basically take a civilian route. Your military service looks good on your resume, but you'll need to get your turbine pic and total pilot time at a regional.

What they said. Airlines will give you the same extra credit they would an infantry officer... responsible adult, will show up on time, with a pressed shirt and good shave.

What you have going for you is network... shake that tree, re-engage old buddies, get LOR's. May as well start now.

Also, technique advice... I would talk about your NAV experience in terms of years, missions, tours but not hours. If you talk about how many hours you had as a NAV, RIO, drone pilot, etc some eyes will roll. Only one kind of hours matters in civilian aviation. Same for your resume.

Do you have your FAA Navigator license? That would count for "extra credit," but not a substitute for hours.

Joe

Good luck finding an FAA FN inspector for the practical.

GF

All above is good advice. Plan on a typical civilian career path. Your professionalism, maturity and personal contacts will help to move your career along more than your Nav rating.
Biggest benefit will be to your SA as you work your way up the ratings/career ladder. You will be able to use more of your mental CPU cycles manipulating the controls because you won't have to spend much thought on navigation.
I'm a prior Herk nav as well. I don't add any of my nav flight time to my totals on my resume but I do list my duties in my work history. I thought it would engender more discussion. But to be perfectly honest, no one has ever brought it up during an interview.
Took me 10 years from Cessna to Boeing, but this is a much different hiring climate than when I started, YMMV.

Not really respectful.

Agreed.

Most FBO 20 year olds haven't spent 20 years serving their country, deploying over seas, missing important family events, getting shot at, and having the possibility of being burned alive in a cage if captured.

He shouldn't have said "respectfully", but he did, as a courtesy to his fellow pilots.

Remove the chip from your shoulder dude.

To Lowspeedhighdrag,

Solid advice above. Finish you ratings and plan on a few years at a regional. Your timing could be perfect for the majors.

Congrats on your upcoming retirement. Thanks for your service and good luck as you open a new chapter in life.

The OP is guilty of using, and you guys are guilty of reacting to, a bit of military slang that evidently doesn’t translate very well.

A “bum” is someone who hangs out in a particular place (job) for a longer time than might be expected for someone seeking advancement/improvement in that same spot in life (company), all the while improving their prospects for entering a new station in life (better/more desirable job). While doing so, the “bum” is taking opportunities whence they come to pick up scraps to live on (students to teach / hours to log). Cf. “Guard Bum.”